Love  Forever and Always
by Stormreaver01
Summary: Summary: A malevolent Vampire hell-bent on revenge against the leader of Torchwood, stalks, traps and 'turns' Captain Jack Harkness while he is out on a Weevil hunt. The scene is set on scrubby farmland at the start of the Brecon Beacons ...


_**DISCLAIMER: **__I do not own Torchwood/Dr Who characters – they belong to BBC Cardiff and RTD. I do not earn anything except reviews from other like-minded fans._

_This is a one-off AU story and I've played with the characters. It does not line up with any storylines from Torchwood or Dr Who episodes, but for reference sake, it is set after Gray, Jack's brother, comes to torment the Torchwood Team. However, in this story, Toshiko and Owen were not killed by Gray. _

_**Summary: **__A malevolent Vampire hell-bent on revenge against the leader of Torchwood, stalks, traps and 'turns' Captain Jack Harkness while he is out on a Weevil hunt. The scene is set on scrubby farmland at the start of the Brecon Beacons. Jack heads out by himself in the middle of the night leaving his lover sleeping peacefully in his bed. It was only a single Weevil and Jack had not bothered to wake his young, Welsh lover for assistance. The Vampire leaves a note beside Jack's body and a large vial of blood to assuage his ravenous hunger when he awakes. And how is Dr Owen Harper involved in all this? _

_Ianto Jones, unable to return to sleep when he awakes in Jack's bunker and finds the bed empty, rises and checks the Rift scan from the last six hours and sees the spike. He tries to contact Jack on his comms, but there is no response. Fearful for his lover, Ianto checks the SUV's location and leaves the Hub, setting off for the blinking light on the screen, foot hard on the accelerator of his car, searching for Jack ….. _

_**The Awakening **_

Jack woke up, head thumping, sharp pains spiralling through his chest from his neck. He put his hand up to the wound, wondering why his injury hadn't healed by now. He had obviously died, but how? He looked around slowly, not noticing how sharp his vision was, but couldn't see anything. He was alone. No Weevil.

He sat up, dizziness preventing him from rising as he had planned. He groaned. Then the memory of what had happened came to him. It had been weird, really weird. When he arrived, the Weevil had been cowering down on the scrubby grass, trembling with fear.

Jack couldn't see or hear signs of anyone or _anything _around and wondered what would reduce a Weevil to a quivering mess. Flipping out the stun gun and Weevil spray, he had stalked over to the Weevil, alert for any sudden movement from the alien.

As he had neared to within a couple of feet of the Weevil, it had looked up at him and Jack recognised the look of _terror _in his eyes. Uneasiness had swept through Jack, but he ignored it. Whatever had terrified the alien was obviously long gone. This made his capture of the Weevil easy.

Just as he leaned down to spray the Weevil's face, a lightning movement and a sudden icy cold encased him. Before he had time to react, an incredibly strong hand shoved him down onto the Weevil and they both ended up prostrate on the ground, Jack on top of the Weevil.

He couldn't move but he could _see _… could _feel _… could _smell _the heightened terror from the Weevil as his eyes looked past Jack's shoulder. The body now lying on top of Jack, effectively sandwiching him between itself and the Weevil, pressed down hard. He couldn't move … at all. Not even his limbs.

A low snarl sounded in his ear, accompanied by any icy blast. Jack now felt the terror mirrored in the Weevil's blown eyes. Then … fangs bit _deep _into his neck, burning pain radiated out from the wound which he _knew_, would be fatal. _Oh shit! I'm gonna be eaten alive! Will this beast leave enough of me to come back? And if it does … it will be agony! _

Then he felt the creature _sucking, sucking, sucking_ … draining his life's blood out of him. Black spots accompanied the nausea and the terrible pain. Shadows appeared on his vision and Jack couldn't struggle against it any more. He succumbed to the curtain of death falling over his eyes.

But now he was awake. He felt his injury again. Clean. But it was still there … two punctures drilled neatly into his neck. Had the creature eaten him down to a partial carcass? Had it just sucked out his blood? And Jack became aware of the gnawing hunger that filled his belly … sharp, growing, _insistent. _Food would have to wait.

Jack still felt dizzy and nauseous, but shook it off and clambered unsteadily to his feet. He turned around to survey the area. The SUV was still parked where he had left it. There was no nothing, no creature … no Weevil. A wave of sympathy washed over him as he imaged the Weevil had not fared well against the … _creature. _Not even a body. He shuddered.

_**The Message**_

Turning to walk towards the SUV, a glint of colour flashed in his peripheral vision, highlighted by the full moon that had crept from behind the dark clouds in the sky. On a rock close by, there was a huge vial of … _blood_ … sitting atop a crumpled sheet of cream-coloured … _parchment?_ With writing on it. Inked in blood.

Jack lifted the vial in his hands and slammed it back down onto the rock, deliberately smashing it so it's hideous contents spilled down. He swiftly rescued the paper before the thick blood could obliterate the message that had obviously been left for him. He smoothed out the sheet, then began to read the tiny, finely-wrought script from a bygone era.

_Captain Jack Harkness_

_Salutations! Welcome to the dawn of your new life. Welcome to your new world of Eternal Shadow. I use the word 'Welcome' with as much derision and hatred as I can inject into seven letters. Why? Because this is the revenge I have chosen to visit upon you; revenge you so richly deserve. _

_I am Baron von Harperman, once a foremost surgeon of my time. You have destroyed the only surviving member of my descendants; if the word 'surviving' could truly be applied to him. Mercilessly … selfishly, you tore him away from the world of humanity when he was so vulnerable, bowed down in agonising grief. You 'stole' him away from human reality to join your Torchwood team and you transformed him … into a living horror. _

_You robbed him of his chance to use his incredible, life-saving skills for the betterment of humanity, inherited from me, to bring him to the dungeon you rule. You took a man who had the potential to save __**millions **__of lives; a man who had the potential to discover new cures for some of Earth's most devastating, most debilitating, most lethal illnesses; a man who had the potential to pioneer new life-saving surgical procedures. And what for? So you could lock him down inside your 'crypt' and drain his dignity away on patching up your injured team mates and performing autopsies on dead aliens! _

_WHAT RIGHT DID YOU HAVE TO ROB THE WORLD OF ONE OF THEIR POTENTIALLY GREATEST PHYSICIANS? WHAT RIGHT DID YOU HAVE TO ROB HIM OF HIS FUTURE?_

_You had no right! But your selfishness knows no bounds. You robbed him of a future that would have set him apart for all others in his field. You robbed him of his humanity. You robbed him of his dignity, including the dignity of death._

_You are an abomination that should not be walking the Earth. But he endures a monstrous life that is worse than my own, ten times worse than your own. He cannot sleep; he cannot eat or drink; he cannot make love; he cannot die … eternity imprisoned in the shell of a body that offers him no comfort, no release. Do you know, you monster, that his soul SCREAMS every single moment he endures this travesty of life you gave him?_

_I have cursed you with the life of a Vampire; I have cursed you so that every single human and creature on Earth, flees in horror for you will thirst for them all; I have cursed you with the blood of the Weevil so that you will behave as they do, when the blood-lust catapults you into a frenzy; I have cursed you with expulsion from the company of every Vampire, every werewolf; every warlock and witch. You are EXPELLED from Earth. _

_I have repaired your Vortex Manipulator so that you can flee off-planet like the 'Monster' that you are. I have given you a Vial of the blood of the Weevil, to assuage that burning hunger in you. Time enough to gather yourself before leaving this planet, before wandering time and space alone; companionless; friendless; no-one to guide you. Even your beloved 'Doctor'_ _will turn from you in horror and reject you once again. _

_I will watch over what is left of my beloved descendant, Dr Owen Harper, and curse you with each moment of my immortal life. You robbed him of the chance to find true love again. You robbed him of the chance to share his amazing genes with his children, as I once shared my genes centuries ago … and then passed down to him from the hallways of time._

_You robbed me of my descendants. You ended my line. Now I've ended your chance to further your line. You are cursed to wander eternally, the annals of time … shunned, despised and feared … alone. _

_Your enemy forever_

_Baron von Harperman_

Jack shook with the coldness he now felt in his heart, listening with sharpened hearing to it beating out an unfamiliar rhythm. His eyes watched as the piece of parchment fell from his pale hands, the healthy tan now forever lost from his skin. It fell beside the broken vial whose contents had seeped into the soil, staining the blades of grass where it had splattered.

He could now see with his heightened eyesight that gleamed in the dark, minute details of the earth at his feet; the head of a worm plunging with sensual undulations into the soil; a tiny spider scurrying greedily towards a blood drop; ants moving in lines towards the unexpected bounty from the sky.

A cold rage filled Jack as he snarled into the air, his tongue running across the sharp points of two fangs as they protracted from his jaw. Burning hunger … _blood lust _… filled him and he realised with annoyance, he had spilt that which had been given to him. The Weevil's blood.

Guilt mingled with his rage. The Baron's harsh condemnation of how he had manipulated Owen into Torchwood; then selfishly _refused _to release him into the Darkness because he could not grant him the hero's death he had earned. It filled Jack with remorse … shame … and dishonour.

He would have wept if it had been possible. Being a Vampire now, robbed him of that simple release. He turned his head to the moon as she peeped out from behind a curtain of dark clouds scudding across the sky … and _screamed! _In fright, she hid herself behind a nearby bank of clouds.

Jack turned around to look, one last time at the SUV, his heart wrenching as he reached for his Vortex Manipulator and flipped the lid. The Baron was right. He had to leave Earth … _now._ Pain lanced through him as he realised _everything_ he was leaving behind … Torchwood, his efforts to save the Earth from aliens; relationships … his family, his team, his friends and acquaintances … his lover, Ianto Jones.

Sorrow filled his whole being, he felt he would drown in its crushing embrace. His chance for happiness taken from him … lasting happiness with his human lover until death from old age wrenched them apart. He had found a love that could have, _would _have, developed into something he had not let himself experience for so very long … a _true_ love. He had found a person with whom he had wanted to experience all that their love would have afforded them; the gradual abandonment of secrets; the intimacy of a true couple; the potential for a Civil Union; the unique love of a man who _loved _him more than his own life. He retracted his cursed fangs, knowing this shining future was forever ripped from his grasp.

_**The Turn**_

Jack's fingers hovered over the flap, when a distant noise reached his ears … a vehicle, headed down this road, towards him! It was a long, winding road, the last kilometre being a straight stretch that cut a swathe through the fields and waste land. The glimmer of a headlight appeared as the vehicle straightened and accelerated down that last stretch of road.

Jack leapt with newfound speed and agility to the cover of a gnarled, twisted tree by the roadside. He peered out cautiously and felt his breath catch in his cold throat. His vision cut through the distance with the precision of a laser. _Ianto! _

Leaping back to his former position by the rock, Jack searched round for the piece of parchment. It couldn't be seen by his former lover. He had to destroy it. Ianto Jones could never know the truth. Jack's gaze swept the area where he knew the parchment had fallen. There was no sign of it.

Unbeknown to Jack, his sudden leap towards the roadside had caused his coat to flap widely around him, creating a sudden gust of wind that had lifted the parchment into the air, to float for a distance away from the rock … then land gently back to earth behind a scrubby bush, hidden from sight.

Frantically, he searched as he knew Ianto would search when he arrived on the scene to find the SUV, but no sign of Jack. He would find the broken vial and search thoroughly for his immortal lover. Ianto would not stint in his efforts to find a trace or a clue as to what happened to Jack.

Too soon, the headlights turned down the gravelly drive that lead to the SUV. Jack had _still _not found the parchment. The vehicle pulled up to the SUV, braking hard and skidding in the stones. A door was yanked open and slammed shut.

"_Jack! Jack! _Where are you? Are you alright?" cried out the beloved voice of Ianto Jones, his Welsh vowels covered in a layer of worry and fear.

Jack's heart thumped loudly in his chest. He had still not found that damn parchment. He cursed under his breath and swirled around in dismay as his lover came running towards him. Jack realised he should have hidden himself. It was now too late. Behind him, the parchment fluttered in the air, lifted once more by the swirl of Jack's coat as he turned with unnatural speed, and settled back in plain view on the grass.

Jack raised his hands to stop his lover rushing into his arms, heart thumping in agony at the sight of his anxious lover … burning hunger raging through him as he _smelt _the delicious scent of warm, pulsing blood. His fangs responded and lowered into attack position.

"_NO! _Stay back! _Stay back_! _Don't _come any closer!" Jack screamed to his bewildered lover, every muscle straining in him as he battled with himself to stop his terrible urge to leap on Ianto and sink his fangs into his soft, pale neck.

Ianto froze in his advance. He had been with Torchwood long enough to recognise a warning when he heard one. His eyes gazed frantically around him, searching for the hidden danger. Ianto couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. But if an unknown alien was around, then the fact that his senses could not pick up anything, didn't mean that he was safe. There could still be some kind of hidden trap that he could fall prey to.

Ianto turned his eyes full upon Jack's distraught face. His heart skipped a beat. Jack's eyes held a strange glow in them, the irises looked … _red? _His skin was unnaturally white. Fear and concern filled the young Welshman as he realised Jack had died and returned to life. This time, his handsome Captain looked _dreadful. _

Ianto's heart wrenched in his breast and he responded to its anguished cry. Without a second thought, Ianto moved forward at alarming speed and threw himself against Jack, his arms leaping around the Immortal's body to wrap him in a strong embrace.

"Oh, Jack!" he gasped, "What _happened _to you?" He buried his face in the nape of Jack's neck, shuddering at the unaccustomed cold of his skin. Warm tears leaked out of Ianto's closed eyes, his long lashes fluttering gently on Jack's neck. Then his cheek grazed Jack's wound and he gasped, pulling back slightly, his eyes widened in shock.

"Jack", he whispered, gazing at the two puncture marks, "why have you not healed?"

Jack wrenched himself from his lover's embrace and pushed him roughly away. Forgetting his newfound strength, he sent the young Welshman sailing through the air to land heavily on the ground, his head slamming into the rock where the vial and the message had been.

Dazed with the blow to his head and the painful landing, Ianto sat up and looked with shock at Jack standing ten paces away. Wet warmth dripped down the back of his neck and Ianto instinctively reached his hand up to his head and felt the deep cut at the base of his skull.

"_Shit!_" he gasped in pain, "Why the _fuck _did you do that? _How _did you do that?" Ianto's bewildered gaze lifted to Jack. Fear penetrated his being as in one super bound, Jack landed in front of his lover, crouching down before him.

"I'm so sorry, Ianto", Jack said softly, his eyes filled with sorrow, "I never meant to _hurt _you! I have to go now … leave Earth … forever! I'm _so very sorry! _I have to leave before I _hurt_ you … and everyone else."

Ianto gasped in shock. "_NO!" _he yelled in anguish, "_No! _You can't leave us! You can't leave Torchwood! _You can't leave_ _me! Please … _just tell me what happened? We can fix this! You _don't _have to go!" He sat up and gripped Jack's arms tightly.

He knew something was wrong … _horribly _wrong with Jack. Jack's face, twisted in a grimace, was more pale than his white teeth … and _fangs? _Ianto felt long fingers of fear fluttering inside as his brain screamed out its warning to him; tried to _show _him what he refused to see … Jack was a _vampire_.

Red eyes shone with an unnatural light out of Jack's face, his body tense with the internal struggle. Ianto's injury had only sharpened his keen sense of smell; accelerated the blood lust demanding satisfaction; increased the fear that he would _not _be able to control his urge. Jack realised in growing horror that he was on the brink of taking his lover's life.

He sprang back ten paces, his eyes wild with fear, despair and … _longing. _He stared into the terror-filled eyes of his lover, his _beloved_ … forever lost to him. He had no choice. He had to leave him. Ianto's injury was not serious. Owen would put a couple of stitches in him and he'd be fine after a couple of days.

"I have to leave Earth, Ianto", Jack began, his voice desolate. "You now understand why. I'm sorry, _so sorry_ that you had to witness this … see me as the _monster_ a vengeful vampire has turned me into. I'm no longer safe to you … to _anyone _here on Earth. Remember me as I once was, Ianto … your _dashing _and handsome Captain! And remember … I _loved_ you … I _love_ you … I'll always _love_ you and _remember_ my beautiful Welshman. Jones, Ianto Jones, I salute you for the amazing human being you are. Farewell, my beloved."

"_NO!" _Ianto screamed in agony, "_Please, Jack! No!" _He raised his arms, hands outstretched in supplication. "I _love _you Jack! _Please … please! _Don't leave me … don't _leave me behind!" _

Ianto's eyes swam with tears and through the filmy blur, he saw Jack flip the lid of his Vortex Manipulator and begin to press buttons on it. He dropped his hands down in despair … and one of them landed on a large, shard of glass from the broken vial. He scooped it up into his hand, hiding it from Jack's view. He raised his hand swiftly to his neck.

"_Jack!" _he yelled out to his lover, "If you won't stay with me, then I don't want to _live_!" Ianto meant it. Ianto had no desire to _live _without the love of his life. If Jack wouldn't stay with him, then Ianto would end his life.

Jack _knew _he meant it … he could hear it in his voice. His finger faltered over the last button as he looked up in shock … in time to see a flash of light from the shard of glass. Then it was lost to view as Ianto buried it deep inside his flesh and with a swift, slashing motion strengthened by his grim resolve, moved it down and across his neck.

Blood gushed from Ianto's wound, pulsing out in time with his heartbeat that would soon falter, fail … and then stop. Jack leapt to the young man's side, flipping down the flap on his Vortex Manipulator. He cried out in a strangled voice when his gaze confirmed what he already knew. Ianto had sliced through the _jugular_, the network of veins that carry deoxygenated blood from the head back to the heart … the most _vulnerable_ veins in a human body. Ianto would be dead in minutes … seconds … and there was _nothing _Jack could do.

Cradling the young Welshman in his arms and rocking him, staring into the strangely peaceful eyes staring back at him, Jack whispered, "_Oh Ianto! _No! _No! _Why did you do it? _Why?_" Jack's raw agony overrode the blood lust that still raged within him. His heartache was too great; his sorrow too deep; his guilt too heavy.

Ianto smiled up at his beloved, his face smoothed into an angelic expression, love shining out of his eyes … and life draining from his neck. "Kiss me, Jack", he whispered hoarsely, "Please kiss me before you leave. One last time."

Jack lowered his head in anguish, wishing it was _his _life's blood draining away. He gently placed his cold lips on Ianto's, feeling the last vestiges of warmth in his lover … and poured all the _love _that was breaking his heart, into the young Welshman.

_**The Intervention**_

An angry voice growled behind Jack and strong arms ripped him from Ianto, throwing him twenty meters away. The stranger's arms drew Ianto up to him, gazing in sorrow and anguish at the terrified young man.

"You couldn't even do this one, last thing _right, _Captain Jack Harkness! Just _leave _Earth … without fuss, without fanfare! _But no! _Everything laid out for you, _even _a vial of blood to calm your blood lust for awhile. But you still managed to _fuck this up! _And now an _innocent _is involved! _Dying _… because of your stupidity!"

In two bounds, Jack was back by Ianto's side, enraged that the Baron had _dared _to return and intrude on this painful, private parting. The Baron's head snapped up and hate-filled eyes stared up at the Immortal.

Jack _knew _that he couldn't battle the vampire who had _'turned' _him. He could _feel _the unnatural strength and power emanating from him. He would be easily defeated. Instead, he decided to be cautious … careful … acquiescent to the older vampire's wishes.

The Baron turned back to Ianto and in a gentle voice asked, "I can _turn _you, Ianto Jones. Make you like _him. _Or I can let you go in peace. Which would you prefer? You have mere seconds to decide."

Jack gasped in shock. "Make Ianto like me? _Never!_ Can't happen! _Won't _happen! He would … he …_" _Jack faltered to a halt. _Make him like me … be with me … I'll never be alone. _The Immortal shook off the selfishness that was inherent within him.

Ianto's voice was very weak, unable to articulate the words he needed. His eyes gazed at the Baron, fear was replaced with a shining hope; then he turned his eyes towards Jack … _longing _shining out from him … and he turned back to the Baron, fluttering his eyes closed for a second to show his assent.

The Baron moved swiftly and lowering his extended fangs down to Ianto's neck, began _The Embrace. _Ianto's eyes reflected the horror, echoed the scream that his voice could no longer produce, as burning pain shot through him. His eyes fluttered closed.

It took the Baron longer than usual to complete the procedure. Ianto had grievously wounded himself and spilled more of his blood than he should have. The Baron had to be extremely careful or he would lose the young man to death … _permanently_. He needed all his former knowledge and skills as a physician and a surgeon. Great delicacy and fine precision was needed for the Baron to succeed. He also had to heal both sets of wounds. A difficult task. After a long, long time … he succeeded.

Ianto rested in his new state of being. The Baron had been gentle in the young man's transformation. He would not awaken in great pain or bewilderment as Jack had. The Baron was sorry that Ianto had chosen to follow _the Monster _… but he understood the depth of the young man's love.

A part of him _hated _Captain Jack Harkness even more. _Envied _him. His beautiful, young lover had followed him into death and immortality because he could not bear to live his mortal life without his _one true love_. The Baron understood that … but still felt regrets.

Jack had been unable to watch his beloved Ianto being _turned _by the Baron. He had chosen to sit beneath the twisted, gnarled tree by the roadside … waiting. Emotions surged and soared within him. _Ianto made his own choice tonight. Twice. First of all, when he cut his throat and secondly, when he chose to be turned into a vampire. Part of me wanted to stop that vampire from hurting my Ianto anymore … most of me didn't. I wanted this as much as Ianto did. That truly makes me a 'monster'. Can I live with this? Can he live with this? _

Ianto awoke and smiled up at the older Vampire. They talked for a while, then Ianto got up at the Baron's instigation. Jack chose to ignore the two of them as he sat wondering if the Baron was going to try and take Ianto away from him ... keep him for himself. Jack would _never _allow that to happen. He would fight the Baron.

The Baron watched with sadness and regret, as the handsome, young vampire walked away from him towards Jack. He sighed deeply and began searching for the parchment. He guessed that Jack would not want to keep possession of such a missive. He half expected to find it torn to shreds … which he could easily fix.

Then he turned and smiled. Right over there in an open stretch of grass, obviously intact. He moved quickly to it, picked it up and folding it carefully into a small rectangle, put it in his inner jacket pocket. Then he turned towards Cardiff city and began _running _…

A hand on his shoulder caused Jack to turn sharply around. Standing above him was the new vampire … Ianto Jones. His skin was much paler than it had been … _obviously _… and his eyes were red … just like his. But there was warmth, understanding, love and … _forgiveness _shining out of those gleaming eyes. With a quick flip of his hand, Ianto raised a startled Jack to his feet.

Jack smiled at his lover. Feeling awkward, Jack remarked flippantly, "Well, Jones, Ianto Jones! Guess we're just going to have to stumble our way through this new life together. You could say, '_the blind leading the blind'_. Or perhaps more appropriately, '_the undead leading the undead_'. But at least … we'll be together!"

Ianto quirked his eyebrow. "Perhaps more a case of _'the sighted leading the blind'_. Nothing new there. I know the Baron chose_ not_ to explain to you anything about living as a vampire. He did, however, explain it all to me. And he gave me the chance to _experiment _with some of my newly acquired powers. I will teach you … over time."

"_Hey!_" Jack exclaimed in annoyance. "If it only took _you _a relatively short time to learn new tricks, then you can teach _me _straight away! And not _over_ time!"

Jack grinned as Ianto rolled his eyes. He loved the fact that some things just _didn't _change about his lover … he wondered whether certain_ other _things changed now that they were both vampires. He missed the roll of Ianto's eyes as he mused on _sex as a vampire_.

"_Jack!" _Ianto spoke, exasperation in his voice. "Mind out of the gutter, if you please. And call them _'abilities' _or _'powers_', but not _tricks_! We're vampires, Jack, not charlatans! The Baron has left but gave me an assurance that we will _not _be attacked by the others for a period of 24 hours. Time enough for us to do what must be done. Then we must leave Earth forever."

Sadness coloured Ianto's tone on his last two sentences. He _loved _Jack with all his being, even more so as a vampire … but he acknowledged the incredibly high cost of his love. His eyes dimmed in sorrow.

Jack felt Ianto's pain … as keenly as his own. He sighed deeply, turning his gaze to the south where the lights of Cardiff, glimmered faintly in the distance. His life here in Cardiff had been a new beginning for him, inspired by the Doctor. Now it was all gone in a matter of hours … _destroyed _by a vengeful vampire whose descendant had already forgiven him. He and Ianto had to leave Torchwood, leave Cardiff, and leave Earth … _forever_.

His only hope in this horrific nightmare, was that Owen would _never _find out their fate at the hands of one of his _ancestors. _If Jack could have cried, he would have broken down and wept until his eyes dried out. Instead, he just sighed again.

"Come on, Jack. No time for reminisces. We'll return the SUV to the Hub, then we'll put my plan into action. You'll hear what we're going to do on the way back. And remember, Jack, we _don't _have much time."

Ianto and Jack returned to the SUV, the young Welshman warning Jack that their vehicle was _not _enhanced with supernatural speed just because they were. They were both subdued as they returned at 3.30 a.m. to Torchwood.

_**The Farewell**_

Holding hands as they walked together to the Tourist Office, Ianto flipped out his key to unlock the door. They walked in and Jack pressed the button behind the counter. Taking the lift down, they reached the cog door. Before passing through and triggering the Intruder Alert, Ianto paused and turned to Jack.

"Remember, Jack. I'll disarm the alert and you start the search for the planet Ziroganor. Gather our things from your bunker and I'll get what we need from the Archives. Then you can compose your email to UNIT and the Home Office tendering your resignation and email it to Tosh. I'll do the same. We can reveal the truth to our team, Jack, we _owe _them that much. Tosh will destroy the CCTV footage before UNIT can get their hands on it. Let's go."

Everything went smoothly as they moved at supernatural speed around Torchwood, performing the assigned tasks. Ianto had time to feed the Weevils and Myfanwy … all of whom knew _what _they were and cowered in fear.

Finally, Jack and Ianto faced the CCTV monitor near Toshiko's desk. Jack spoke first, explaining all that had happened to him when he went on his Weevil Hunt. Ianto told them his version of events after he found Jack. The two vampires demonstrated their fangs drawing down, then retracting back. Ianto and Jack then demonstrated their speed, Ianto far outstripping Jack in speed _and _distance.

"Show off!" Jack muttered as they returned to their starting point. To restore his ego, Jack demonstrated his new strength. Ianto rolled his eyes.

Jack then gave instructions to all three remaining team members. Ianto told them he had left detailed instructions for the Archives filing system he had perfected. He also gave them feeding instructions for the Weevils and Myfanwy; directions on how to make great coffee; and where to find the list of all their suppliers, citing Gwen as the best person to take over the accounts. Jack also recommended that Gwen apply for the position of leader of Torchwood … if the Home Office and UNIT allowed Torchwood to continue. He told Toshiko that he had emailed Martha concerning the end of her time with Torchwood and imminent return to UNIT. The Doctor would contact UNIT and instruct them that Toshiko be freed. He also explained that it was through Martha that the Doctor would learn of their fate. After giving last minute instructions for everything they could think of, Jack and Ianto paused and looked at each other.

Jack turned back to the camera. "Gwen, Toshiko, Owen. It's been a privilege and an honor to have you all on my team. It grieves me _more _than any of you could understand, to have to leave you, knowing we will never see each other again. You've all been great and we've achieved so much. I know that whatever you all choose to do with your lives from this time forward, you will succeed. Gwen. Keep that heart of yours beating for humanity. Look after that wonderful husband of yours. Toshiko. You are a _beautiful _person. Let yourself love again. Owen. My brilliant surgeon and doctor. I am _so sorry _for all the pain I've caused you. I really am. I was wrong. I want you all to know that I have _loved _each and every one of you. And I'll always remember you. Farewell my faithful Torchwood Team. And Gwen. On my desk I'll left the phone number for my daughter Alice and the cover story I want you to give her. Also, I've put my personal account books in a bag on my desk, along with my Will. Everything goes to Alice and my grandson, Stephen."

Jack turned aside, unable to look into the camera any longer. Ianto stepped forward. "We had a rough start when we first met, but I'm happy that we all worked through our differences. I'm _so sorry _I put you all through that crap with Lisa, because I loved her blindly. I was wrong. Gwen. I'm glad you found your true love as I have found mine. Look after Rhys and I will look after Jack. Owen. I'm glad we managed to work through our mutual contempt and reach an understanding. Mutual friendship. Toshiko … my best friend. What can I say to the person who was _always _there for me, _always _on my side? _W__atashi wa anata o aishite itsumo anata o oboete irudarou. _Toshiko. Please visit my sister, Rhiannon. I've left my cover story along with my Will on my workstation. I've emailed my solicitor giving formal notification that I am handing over my flat, my car and all the proceeds from my bank accounts, to Rhiannon. Minus his final fee, of course."

Ianto then stepped back, his head bowed as pain coursed through him. Jack reached for Ianto's hand and squeezed it. Then glancing towards each other, they turned back to the CCTV for the last time and smiled, their agony shining out from their gleaming, red eyes. Then they turned quickly and left the Hub, Ianto explaining to Jack how the Baron had told him where to find the blood bank at the hospital, how to over-ride the security systems and which vials of blood to take. Then they would swing by Ianto's home and pick up everything they needed before heading back to the Brecon Beacons. Ianto wanted to see the beautiful countryside before leaving Earth.

By 5.04 a.m. Jack and Ianto were standing back in the field where they had both been _turned _into vampires. The Baron was waiting for them, wanting to make sure they would _leave _Earth. Jack was tense as the two combatants eyed each other up with mutual dislike. Ianto was relaxed and used his subtle influence to ward off a confrontation between the two alpha vampires.

The moment had come. The Baron walked a few steps away and beckoned to Ianto. The young Welshman shot a warning look to Jack, then joined the Baron. Ianto inclined his head to the shorter man and listened intensely to his message. Looking back up, he smiled at the Baron, then joined Jack.

Jack scowled at the Baron, who blithely ignored him, eyes fixed on Ianto. Jack whispered, "What did he want? What did he say?"

Ianto rolled his eyes. "Not for your ears, Jack. Just for mine. Don't worry about it." Jack scowled at his lover, but didn't push the matter. He snaked one arm around Ianto's waist, the other firmly gripping half of their meager possessions. He remarked in a flirtatious tone, "First thing we're going to do after dumping our gear, is test out our sexual powers. I trust we can still make love?"

Ianto turned and smirked at Jack. "I shall enjoy being the one who teaches _you, _all about our sexual powers. I believe you will be _very _impressed." Ianto nodded his farewell to the Baron who returned it with a salute. He nodded to Jack.

Jack flipped open his Vortex Manipulator and pressed a sequence of numbers, keying in the first 'hop' they had to make to reach their ultimate destination of Ziroganor. A white flash lit up the countryside, causing the Baron to squint in alarm. He turned his back on the bright light, then sped through the night to an up market apartment in Cardiff, boasting fantastic views of the city.

He knocked gently on the door. It was 5.25 a.m. Final destination before heading back to his crypt to join his lover in slumber. It took several attempts before a grumpy voice sounded through the door. The Baron smiled.

Opening the door, the young man momentarily startled, then relaxed. "Hello Uncle Oliver. Are you coming in?" He stepped aside to allow him entrance. The Baron shook his head, raising his eyes skyward, indicating the approaching dawn. Then he reached into his inner pocket, drew out the folded parchment and handed it to him.

The young man read it carefully, pursing his lips. When he had finished, he looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Oliver."

The Baron smiled in return. "A pleasure, favored nephew. Now its time for you to become whom you were meant to be. Take your place in the bright, new future that awaits you. Make me proud."

The young man nodded. "I will." Then he softly closed the door. The Baron paused for a moment, staring with pride at the shiny brass nameplate, before streaking away. _Dr Owen Harper. _

**The End**

_**Japanese: **__"Watashi wa anata o aishite itsumo anata o oboete irudarou" _translates as _"I love you and will always remember you" _


End file.
